Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, extolled Vatican’s thought on the occasion, which stated: “Nurturing a culture of inclusion thus becomes a common call and a shared responsibility, which must be urgently undertaken.”

Rajan Zed agreed with Vatican’s call given in the message: “…join together with followers of other religions and with people of good will to foster a culture of inclusion for a just and peaceful society.”

Zed urged His Holiness Pope Francis to visit a Hindu temple in the near future to promote mutual understanding and respect between the faiths. All religions should work together for a just and peaceful world, Zed stressed.

Rajan Zed says that in our shared pursuit for the truth, we can learn from one another and thus can arrive nearer to the truth. This dialogue may help us vanquish the stereotypes, prejudices, caricatures, etc., passed on to us from previous generations. As dialogue brings us reciprocal enrichment, we shall be spiritually richer than before the contact, Zed adds.

Titled—Christians and Hindus: Together to foster a culture of “inclusion”—this Deepavali message was signed by President Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Secretary Father Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot of Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Zed suggested that it would be even better if such messages were signed by Pope himself.

Pope Francis leads the Roman Catholic Church (headquartered in Vatican City), which is the largest of the Christian denominations. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

Most popular of Hindu festivals Deepavali (Diwali), the festival of lights, aims at dispelling the darkness and lighting up the lives and symbolizes the victory of good over evil. It falls on October 23 this year.